^8 PLATE CCXXXVIIL 



and even abfurdities. The force of this remark, however harfh if 

 may appear, will apply in a particular degree to the fpecific defini- 

 tion and quoted Synonyras of Papilio Hyale, and confequently to 

 two other fimilar fpecies involved in the fame error, 



Linnaeus gave the defcription of Papilio Hyale, as above quoted 

 in the Syftema Natura, from an inftdl in his own cabinet, and 

 quotes, in the Synonyms, the Butterfly figured by Roefel^ Vol. 3. 

 tab. 46. fig. 4. 5. The works of that author being known in every 

 part of Europe, the entomologifts of that time received the figure 

 as that of the true Hyale ; and relying on the accuracy of the Lin- 

 na^an references, the miftake has been overlooked to the prefent 

 period. Fabricius, who is the lateft fyflematic writer on this fci- 

 ence, quotes the figures in Roefel, as Linnaeus had himfelf in the 

 firft inflance ; and he alfo refers to figures of the fame infe£l in the 

 works of Cramer and Sch^efFer. An error of fuch fpecious appear- 

 ance could only be detected by a reference to the fpecimen in the 

 Linnzean Cabinet, at this time in the pofTeffion of Dr. Smith, and 

 by this it appears that every author has miftaken the fpecies of Lin- 

 naeus, and that Linn^us was himfelf mifbken in fuppofing the infed 

 defcribed was the fame as that figured by Roefel, and to which he 

 refers ; that the Linnaean Papilto Hyale is what later authors have 

 confrdered PapU'io PaliEno, and that the true Papilio Palano is not a 

 Britifh fpecies. 



Thefe errors are fo complicated that we mufl examine the cha- 

 radters afligned to each fpecies with the utmofl attention, and wc 

 Ihall then find his defcriptions correal, but the fynonyms erroneous, 

 Papilio Hyale is defcribed with yellow wings \ the colour of the wings 

 in the fuppofed Hyale is not of that kind which Linnaeus would 

 have called yellow, (flavisj hut fuhis, being of a deep orange colour, 

 much inclining to red. Either of thefe expreffions will certainly 

 admit of great latitude, but we mufl not therefore confound one 

 •with the other. The two filver fpots are not conftant, though it 

 forms a part of the fpecific chaia6ler ; we have feen in both the 

 clouded yellow and clouded orange butterflies, fometimes only one 

 fpot, though in general it has two. On the whole, the Linnaean 



defcrip- 



